Chema hasn’t played a minute of football since joining Nottingham Forest from Levante earlier in August, but Sabri Lamouchi hinted that the 27-year-old could feature against Derby County in Tuesday’s EFL Cup clash.
Chema was signed on a two-year deal to provide balance to the backline as a left-footed defender, but he’s yet to make the matchday squad in any game.
Lamouchi told Nottinghamshire Live: “It is the same for Chema as Carvalho. He can be in the 18 tomorrow. It is different for him (Chema) because he was the last one to come and we haven’t had a lot of big training sessions, just recovery, game, recovery, game.
“What we have seen (of him) in the short sessions is very positive and he is a very nice guy. He is happy to be with us and we are happy to be with him.”
The Spaniard has stiff competition for places – Tobias Figueiredo, Michael Dawson, Joe Worrall, Yohan Benalouane, Alexander Milosevic, Michael Hefele – but he may have a big opportunity to impress this week.
Chema was still a Levante player when Forest had their season opener and has been working towards making his debut for weeks. Forest’s bright start in the Championship meant it unlikely that Chema would replace Michael Dawson & Joe Worrall in defence, so the EFL Cup is a good opportunity for minutes.
Forest reached the second round of the competition after beating Fleetwood Town on August 13. A place in the third round beckons if they can dispatch of their fierce rivals.
